


The Common Room’s Hypothetical Memory

by anasticklefics



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Tickling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-15 10:27:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29807016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anasticklefics/pseuds/anasticklefics
Summary: James and Sirius are having a tickle fight and accidentally find out Remus is ticklish too.
Relationships: Sirius Black & Remus Lupin & James Potter
Kudos: 13





	The Common Room’s Hypothetical Memory

The Gryffindor common room had seen a lot throughout its years of use; from torrid love affairs when the castle was asleep, to chaotic attempts at working through assignments. If it had been alive and able to voice its opinions, it would say that it remembered every single student and that it missed the Marauders more than it would admit.

Well, think about it. Four students always sneaking out, always planning mischief, only to sit down quietly and read the day after? The common room was amazed at the versatile nature of human beings. Its only regret was that it was certain the majority of the chaos that would sprout out of those boys’ fingertips took place outside of its walls.

One evening, that didn’t stand out more than any other evening but was still easy to find in its hypothetical memory, had James and Sirius tangled up on the couch, the rest of the room empty of witches and wizards, with laughter lacing around each piece of furniture. James had just caught Sirius’ arm and was trapping it above his head, fingers wiggling against the sensitive hollows that had Sirius howling. Noise in this room wasn’t unusual, so no one came to check on them until Remus arrived, and Remus only walked in on them because he’d been entering the common room itself rather than because the noise had alerted him.

“I thought I heard shrieking,” he said, even though that would be impossible. The common room knew nonchalance when it saw it, but as usual it couldn’t call anyone out on it.

Remus put his bag on the floor next to the heap that was his friends. “You doing okay, love?” he asked Sirius, their once secret kisses having lasted longer than James and Peter had known about it. The common room had known about their feelings long before, naturally.

“Moony, get him _off_ of me,” Sirius choked out, feet kicking in the air as James still went to town on his pits.

“Hmm, something tells me you deserve being in that position.”

“He sure does.” The common room knew that James had provoked him, although it did not mean Sirius was in any way undeserving of his fate. “You wanna help me out?”

“Ah, I’m good. I get him all the time.”

Sirius, in a moment of air-filled lungs, called out, “I get you just as much, don’t lie!” and that was what made the evening shift. The common room could feel it shifting.

James’ fingers stilled immediately. “Wait.” He turned to Remus, eyes wide, mouth agape until he used it. “You’re telling me you’ve been ticklish _all this time_ and I’ve never once tried it out?”

Remus took a step back with raised hands. “You’ve seemed content in ticklish Sirius,” he said, and the common room agreed.

James had let go of Sirius entirely now. “This is unbelievable. _Five years_ of friendship and I’ve never tickled you.”

“You can go longer than that, I assure you.”

“I really cannot.”

Remus managed to shoot one glare at a panting yet smirking Sirius before James had thrown all his focus and his body onto him. Both of them fell onto the floor - one of Hogwarts’ finest floors, if the common room could express its opinion - as James tried out every spot he could in the span of a few seconds. While they all worked, it was the neck that made Remus start laughing, and James lingered there until Sirius told him to go for his knees. And then he joined them himself.

The moment was just a moment among many in the common room’s hypothetical memory, but it was just as crucial as all of them.


End file.
